


Frosty Reception

by creatureofhobbit



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 09:14:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15433788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creatureofhobbit/pseuds/creatureofhobbit
Summary: Julian hears of Caitlin's return to Team Flash and her losing her Killer Frost powers.





	Frosty Reception

When the call from Cisco came, Julian realised that a part of him had expected that call all along, much as he had always been telling himself not to, because it was never going to arrive.

He’d started by talking about how he’d managed to break Barry out of the speed force, how Barry had been communicating in some symbols that apparently looked Kryptonian “and he said something about ‘This House is Bitchin’, which totally doesn’t sound like Barry, and he didn’t even know what it meant, any ideas?” Julian was about to say no, but before he had chance to, Cisco was talking again about how Barry was back at work now and had complained a lot about Julian’s replacement.

“More than he used to complain about me?” Julian asked. “It’s okay. You can say it.”

“He still doesn’t remember any of that year, you know,” Cisco said, “so you don’t even need to think about that any more. And there’s something else you should know, too. Caitlin’s back.”

“Caitlin?” Julian asked, wanting to ask Cisco so many questions, finding so many memories flashing in front of his eyes; himself ripping off Caitlin’s necklace and then watching helplessly as she transformed into Killer Frost before his eyes, Caitlin being the first to persuade him to spend Christmas with the team and finally helping him become a part of things, Caitlin saying her goodbyes at HR’s funeral.

“And she’s Caitlin again, not Killer Frost. She managed to control it. She’s back working with us again. The team’s almost back to how it was before.”

“Almost,” Julian repeated.

“Of course, we could never replace HR,” Cisco went on, “and you, obviously. But if you ever did want to come back to work with us again, you know you’d always be welcome.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Cisco,” Julian had begun. “I don’t know if Caitlin will ever want to see me again.”

“I’ll talk to her, if you like,” Cisco offered. “Oh, and in case you were wondering? She hasn’t dated anyone else since you.”

“I wasn’t going to ask that,” Julian replied, but although he brushed it off for Cisco, he couldn’t ignore the part of him that wondered if there could still be hope of her one day forgiving him.

 

The call to Barry had been easy. Surprising to think of it, considering there had been a time when Julian couldn’t stand Barry Allen, thought he took the piss at work with his leaving two minutes early and was a smug git just because of his close relationship with Joe West. Yet even as he had said to Barry that one night drinking together hadn’t made them friends, Julian had gradually realised that in time that was what they had become, and when he said to Barry that he was glad he was back, he meant it.

“Joe gave me your new address,” Barry had said. “The wedding’s back on, I’m sending you an invitation.”

“I’d love to be there,” Julian said, and he was surprised to find out that he really would. “You sure…that’s going to be okay?”

“It’s going to be fine, Julian,” Barry replied. “Caitlin isn’t holding any grudge. She really is back to the old Caitlin again.”

“In that case, I accept your invitation.”

 

Even as Julian boarded the flight to Central City, a part of him wasn’t sure he wanted to go. Much as he wanted to be there to celebrate Barry and Iris’s big day, and he knew it would be a chance to get to know people like Oliver Queen and Sara Lance better, there was still a part of Julian that dreaded the moment when he had to see Caitlin again, had to look her in the eye, see her as herself again and realise how easily it could have gone the other way.

He hadn’t slept at all throughout the flight (not that he probably would have anyway, considering the screaming baby sat directly behind him), wondering what would happen when he saw Caitlin again. She was never far from his mind as he reclaimed his baggage, checked into his accommodation.

Julian knew he should probably get some rest before the guys’ night out Cisco had arranged for Barry, but he had to see Caitlin before the wedding. He had to know. So he left his unpacking, walked into the centre of Central City. Cisco had mentioned that Iris’s bachelorette was at the same time as Barry’s bachelor, although he hadn’t known where they were going. He walked through the streets of Central City, hoping to catch a glimpse of Caitlin, to be able to talk to her before the wedding.

But what he saw instead was Killer Frost walking towards him, unaware of his presence but appearing very comfortable in that persona, as though she was embracing it, and Julian understood that Cisco had been wrong all the time.

He didn’t make himself known to Caitlin, didn’t try to catch up with Barry’s bachelor party. There was nothing left for him in Central City any more. 

 

Julian hadn’t told Barry why he never showed up for his wedding, although he did wonder if Barry or any of the rest of them had guessed. And from everything Cisco had told him afterwards about Evil Oliver Queen and friends from Earth X, a part of him wasn’t sorry to have missed out on that one.

He’d tried not to think about Caitlin any more, and he almost thought he’d succeeded, until the day when Cisco called him and told him everything that had happened with Clifford DeVoe.

Julian had barely remembered Ralph Dibny, who had left CCPD before Julian’s time. Mostly he remembered Barry going into such a long rant about him that Julian had vowed that if he ever met the guy, he’d be buying him a pint for having had to put up with Barry. He was amused to hear the tales of Cecile hearing Joe’s thoughts, and he was sad to hear what had happened to Harry after the Thinking Cap. Then Cisco said something about Caitlin, and how she’d finally lost her powers…

“Wait, go back a second there. So you’re telling me she’s not Killer Frost any more?”

“DeVoe did something to her, took her powers away…” Cisco carried on talking, but Julian wasn’t listening. Caitlin was herself again.

 

“Julian!” Caitlin exclaimed when Julian walked into Star Labs. “It’s…good to see you again.”

“Hey, Cisco, we better go, we have that thing with Joe,” Barry began, “but we’ll definitely do drinks later, Julian, okay?”

Cisco frowned and looked confused for a moment, then said “Right! Yeah, we’re meeting Joe,” and followed Barry out. 

Julian laughed. “Subtlety was never his strong point.”

Caitlin smiled too. “So, I have to admit, I thought you’d never come back to Central City.”

“Neither did I.” Julian admitted. “But when Cisco called and told me you were…you again, I had to.”

Caitlin looked down at her feet. “Killer Frost….she is part of me. I realise that now. Maybe Cisco didn’t explain. But I remember now, a time when she appeared in my childhood, long before the particle explosion. She’s always been here, I just didn’t know it. But even before I found out, back when DeVoe first took her away from me, I realised that I didn’t want to be plain old Caitlin again. I wanted Killer Frost to be a part of me. I know you’ve been feeling guilty for ages about bringing her out when you saved me, and there was a time when I was angry with you over it…but she’s part of who I am now.”

He’d returned to Central City for Caitlin. Now Julian had to make that decision; whether he could accept Killer Frost as part of his life too.


End file.
